Start by carefully considering what you think you want. Then weigh your wish list against what you’ll probably pay to fulfill it. Identifying goals and thinking through available options will force some decisions—and also help you set a budget cap.

Roofing work is expensive, and, if you hire the wrong contractor, you can spend thousands of dollars too much and still get terrible work. Our ratings of area roofers will help you nail down the best roofers for your job.

Before investing in an alarm system, take a step back to evaluate—and improve—your home’s overall security. You can do many things to enhance protections that cost much less than an alarm system but do just as much good.